Vinnytsia Delegation Presents Podillia Way of St James in Vatican and Rome

On 5 February, the WeGil Cultural Centre in Rome opened a photo exhibition entitled ‘From the Franconian Way to the Way of St James: Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe’. The exhibition includes photographs from the Podillia Way of St James, which begins in Vinnytsia.

The exhibition was organised by the European Federation of the Way of St James together with the Italian region of Lazio and the European Association Via Francigena on the occasion of Italy's presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The event was attended by Andrii Ocheretnyi, Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia, Vice President of the European Federation of the Way of St James, and Volodymyr Onofriichuk, a member of the City Council.

Prior to the opening, the Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to have an audience with Pope Francis, presenting him with a Ukrainian flag and a postcard depicting the sculpture of the Apostle James in Vinnytsia, which symbolises the beginning of the Ukrainian pilgrimage to the relics of the saint.

‘Our sacred heritage and pilgrimage routes, which we are reviving together in the new millennium, have survived wars, epidemics, border changes, and even genocides. But few could have believed that more than half a century after the defeat of the Nazis in Europe, there would be a need to bring criminals against humanity and aggressors to justice. Russian missiles and Iranian drones continue to fly over the heads of several hundred Ukrainian pilgrims who set out on the Way of St James from our native Vinnytsia, and in sunny Odesa, UNESCO World Heritage buildings are being targeted,’ said Andrii Ocheretnyi. ’Today, the Camino de Santiago, Via Francigena and many other pilgrimage routes in Europe are roads where people pray for peace and for a better future for humanity. These roads turn us to face each other, heal our pains and wounds, and give us new experiences. This is what our exhibition is about, and it serves as a tool to unite around the values of the Council of Europe.’

The exhibition ‘From the Franconian Way to the Way of St James: Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe’ consists of 50 photographs and maps that reveal the history and present of two of Europe's most popular active pilgrimage routes: The Way of St James, Camino de Santiago (to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela) and the Franconian Way, Via Francigena (from Canterbury to Rome). Both are certified cultural routes of the Council of Europe, designed to promote fundamental European values: human rights, democracy, dialogue, diversity and cultural identity. The photos feature sacred sites from more than 10 European countries and the pilgrims themselves. It is in this context that the exhibition includes photographs from Podillia, which, thanks to the efforts of Vinnytsia and 10 other communities in Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi regions, has an official branch of the Way of St James called Camino Podolico.

According to Antonello Aurigemma, President of the Regional Council of Lazio, ‘Thanks to this exhibition, we will be able to grasp an authentic and fascinating perspective of the experience, because these routes are not only geographical paths, but real inner journeys that allow us to reflect on our cultural and spiritual identity.’

Read more about the Podillia Way of St James, which leads from Vinnytsia to Kamianets-Podilskyi, here